Today

Today is a very special day. It is the day, in 1808, that the first practical typewriter was invented. Before that, people sat around looking at impractical typewriters, wondering how much they could get for them at a garage sale. Thank goodness for Italian Pelligrini Turri, without whom we would all now be sitting around looking at impractical computers. However, the typewriter is not why today is special. Today is also the day that Chelsea Clinton decided, in 1997, to attend Stanford College. Also -- much more importantly -- on this day in 1904 the ice cream cone made its debut. As critical as that is to our modern lives, however, it is not why today is special either.

We are referring to the Prissy Princess's birthday. In honor of this occasion, we are posting the first-ever picture to appear on this blog. (We would have had one sooner, but among the Princess's few talents is not one for using technology.) So here, on this momentous occasion, is a photo of the birthday Princess:








Hmmm, the ears aren't quite right. Obviously, the Princess needs some more practice inserting photos. Let's try again.







Well, that's a little better, but I think we've had enough photo practice for today. Stay tuned.

Today also marks the anniversary of the first national U.S. holiday, in commemoration of the centennial of George Washington's inauguration. I do not see that anyone observes this particular holiday anymore. Even though we now have more national holidays than we know what to do with, and if we add any more the government is going to be off more than it works -- oh, wait, that's already true -- personally I think we should revive this particular holiday. To me it makes much more sense to celebrate the day our first president became president than to celebrate, as we do, President's Day in February. That honors only the births of Lincoln and Washington, and they can hardly take credit for that.

But it would be nice to have my birthday off every year.